


I Can Get By The Days Just Fine (But The Nights)

by TheNameIsBritney



Category: Julie and The Phantoms (TV)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Coffee Shops & Cafés, Baristas, Caleb isn't evil, M/M, Miscommunication, alex is hot and willie has issues, bc i'm a caleb simp, nephew willie, they're so dumb, uncle caleb is overbearing and extra but he means well
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2021-02-03
Updated: 2021-02-03
Packaged: 2021-03-13 09:27:24
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 13,192
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/29151210
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/TheNameIsBritney/pseuds/TheNameIsBritney
Summary: He looked between Alex and Luke for a moment, trying to make sense of their silent conversation. Suddenly, Luke's strange behaviour the other day made sense.They were together.They were together and Willie was a complete idiot.ORCoffee Shop AU - Willie and Alex are coworkers with equally as hopeless crushes on one another. But what happens when Willie finds out that Alex's boyfriend, Luke, is cheating on him? (Spoiler alert: Luke isn't Alex's boyfriend - Willie just loves jumping to conclusions)
Relationships: Alex Mercer/Willie (Julie and The Phantoms), Minor or Background Relationship(s)
Comments: 48
Kudos: 369





	I Can Get By The Days Just Fine (But The Nights)

**Author's Note:**

> so this fic is a brain baby of mine and my lovely friend anika's (@diwata-nation). i told her that my favourite cafe was hiring but only for graveyard staff (11pm - 7am) and she immediately said "graveyard shift coworkers willex au?" and my brain went BRRRRR
> 
> HAPPY BIRTHDAY ANIKA

There was only one problem with working the graveyard shift at _Covington Coffee Roasters_. It wasn't the lack of sleep (Alex was used to that by now) and it wasn't the customers either. He could deal with the occasional stroppy suburban mom - he'd had to live with one for the first 17 years of his life.

The problem was his coworker, Willie. He was too... _everything._ Too nice, too handsome, too welcoming; it had gotten increasingly hard for Alex to concentrate on pulling shots of espresso for college students pulling all-nighters when Willie was nearby, smiling that godforsaken smile of his.

Alex liked Willie just fine, he was a great guy. But the issue was, perhaps he liked Willie a bit too much.

It was just past 2am and the cafe was basically deserted, save for a cab driver sitting in the corner nursing a tea, hunched over his phone. Alex had ducked down to inspect the contents of the fridge, grabbing the last carton of oat milk and looking at the expiration date on the top. _Two more days._

"Do you ever wonder what happens after _this?"_

Alex looked up at Willie and raised his eyebrows, slowly putting the oat milk back in the fridge. He was leaning against the counter, arms crossed and a dreamy expression on his face. Alex hadn't been working here long enough to know exactly what that look meant, but he knew he liked it (though... he liked all of Willie's expressions, so, perhaps he was biased). "After what?" he asked, standing up and wiping his hands on his apron. "Like... after your shift?"

Willie looked at Alex and smiled, eyes crinkling pleasantly in the corners, sending Alex's heart through a loop. " _No,_ man, like... after _this_. Life, I guess." 

"Oh! Um..." Alex stuffed his hands into his pockets and leaned his hip against the counter, mirroring Willie's pose. "I believed in heaven when I was little, if that's what you mean."

"You don't believe in heaven anymore?" 

Alex pursed his lips. _Did he?_ "Kind of. Not in the traditional Christian sense" --the gold chain around Alex's neck grew just the slightest bit heavier at the thought-- "but I'd like to think that there's somewhere for our souls to go after we die - that it's not just... black nothingness forever." 

Willie nodded, smile softening. "Yeah. I like the thought of that."

"Why do you ask?" Alex asked, eyes following Willie as he started wiping down the (already pristine) counters. "It's barely 2am and you're already getting philosophical on me?"

Willie shrugged. "We were talking about different afterlife theories in my psychology of death and dying class today."

"Psychology of death and dying?" In the three months they'd been working together, they'd never _really_ talked about anything other than coffee and customers. Even hearing the smallest snippets into Willie's personal life felt like winning a prize at the carnival. "I didn't know you were studying psychology." _I don't really know anything about you._

"Yeah, I'm minoring in it, actually. Majoring in fine art." Willie stopped wiping the counter and looked at Alex, eyebrows raised and a slight smirk on the corner of his mouth. "What about you?"

"Wh-what about me?" 

"I shared a detail about my life," Willie replied, folding the rag he'd been using into a neat little square. "Now it's your turn." He paused, smile turning sheepish. "If you're comfortable with that, of course."

Alex pursed his lips, looking down at the counter, still gleaming and sticky with detergent. "What do you wanna know?"

Willie's eyes briefly scanned Alex's face. "What do you wanna tell me?"

_What do you wanna tell me?_

Alex hesitated, rubbing his index finger and his thumb together as a million and one uninteresting, basic facts about himself crossed his mind all at once. "Oh! Um... I'm in a band?" he offered, voice lilting upwards towards the end in question - as if he were worried that Willie would reject his fact. 

Instead of just nodding politely and moving on like Alex thought he would, Willie's face lit up. It was a good look on him - though... he wasn't sure there was a single look that looked bad on Willie.

"That's so cool!" he said brightly, _sincerely._ "What kind of music do you guys play?" 

Alex grinned. Willie's smile was incredibly contagious. "I... sort of like a mixture of pop and rock, I guess? If that makes sense," he said. "I play the drums." 

Willie nodded, eyes bright and cheeks delightfully round from his smile. A strand of hair escaped from his bun as he nodded and Alex desperately fought the urge to reach out and tuck it behind his ear. "That's sick, man, I didn't know you were a musician!" he replied, something wistful falling over his expression. "I've always wanted to learn how to play the drums, but I can't sit still for longer than two minutes."

Alex shrugged, feeling a familiar flush crawling up the back of his neck. _He'd never been able to handle compliments._ "I've been playing since I was a kid, so it's like second nature to me now, I guess," he said. He _didn't_ say that being behind his drum set felt more like _home_ than his actual home had felt; didn't mention that it had been his solace for the first 17 years of his life when he'd lived at home with overbearing, subtly homophobic parents and two siblings who were as perfect as perfect could be. Willie didn't need to know that much about him, not yet anyway. 

Before Willie could respond, the familiar _click click click_ of their manager's (extremely expensive and much-too fancy) dress shoes sounded from the backroom. Alex stood up straight, taking his hands out of his pocket as soon as he saw Caleb emerge, carrying a plastic box full of milk cartons. "Evening, boys!" he said, placing the carton on the counter and turning around. He looked at Alex and tutted, smiling jovially. "Alex, relax, would you? It's 2 in the morning, I don't expect you to be standing at attention constantly - especially when there are no customers."

Alex cleared his throat and nodded, releasing some of the tension in his shoulders. Caleb was, for the most part, a good boss. He was nice and enthusiastic and charming -- a little bit on the overbearing side, but nothing Alex couldn't handle. He'd practically hired Alex on the spot, despite the fact that he had no formal barista training. But his kindness didn't make him any less intimidating. "Sorry, sir," he said quietly. 

Caleb shook his head as he began unpacking the cartons of milk and milk substitutes and placing them on the countertop. "No need to apologise," he said. He wordlessly handed Alex three fresh cartons of oat milk and Alex hurriedly took them, crouching down until he was eye-level with the fridge and lining them up behind the carton that was about to expire. "So, you two having _fun_ out here?" There was a quality to his voice that Alex didn't entirely understand. A sort of... mischievous undertone.

He popped up just in time to see Willie and Caleb share an undecipherable look. He raised a single eyebrow. 

"We were just talking about Alex's band," Willie said, moving past to let Caleb make himself a shot of espresso. "He's a drummer."

Caleb hummed, eyebrows raised in intrigue as he filled the portafilter with coffee grounds, hands moving almost automatically. "Is that so?" he asked, looking up at Alex with a grin. "Are you any good?" Alex watched as he pressed the tamper down into the portafilter, swallowing nervously. 

"Um... I-I like to think so," he said with a meek chuckle. 

The expression on Caleb's face was near unreadable. Alex was helpless to watch as he silently placed a mug under the espresso machine and pulled a shot of espresso, fingers drumming against the countertop. Then, a smile began to grow on Caleb's face, slow and deliberate. He looked up just as the espresso began pouring out of the machine and into his _specialty_ demitasse cup (that no one but Caleb was allowed to touch). "Well, that's wonderful!" he said, facing Alex as he took a sip. "Perhaps we could have you and your band perform here one night." 

Alex's eyes widened. "Oh! I... really?" 

"Yes!" Caleb said, an enthusiastic gleam in the corner of his piercingly blue eyes. "I've been wanting to implement a live music and performance element to the cafe for a while and this could be the perfect introduction!" He paused and pulled his phone out of his back pocket, tapping a few times before looking back at Alex. "I'll need to get some kind of _stage_ set up... how about the fifth of March? Two weeks from now. Is that enough time for you and your band to prepare? I'd pay you and all your members, of course."

"Yes!" Alex said almost immediately. "I-I mean, I'll have to discuss it with them first, but that sounds awesome! Um... _sir._ " 

Caleb chuckled and knocked back the last bit of his espresso, slipping his phone back into his pocket and giving Alex a quick pat on the shoulder. "Of course, Alex. I look forward to hearing you and your band play." 

Once Caleb walked back into the office, Alex waited until he was completely gone to look at Willie who was watching dutifully, cradling a mug of hot chocolate in both of his hands. "Dude, thank you!" Alex said. It took every ounce of restraint he had not to tackle Willie out of pure gratitude alone. "The guys are gonna be so stoked!"

Willie tilted his head, giving Alex a small smile. His cheeks were the slightest bit flushed. "What are you thanking me for?"

"I mean... if you hadn't mentioned my band to Caleb, he never would've offered to let us play here," he replied, brushing his hair out of his eyes. " _Thank you,_ Willie."

"Oh, well... you're welcome, in that case," Willie replied. "I'm looking forward to seeing you guys play."

Oh. Alex had forgotten about that part. Suddenly the idea of playing at the coffee shop was just _that much more_ daunting - not only was he playing in front of his manager but in front of Willie too? That added a whole new layer of intimidation to the entire situation. 

Before Alex could properly ruminate on ( _freak out about)_ the entire situation, the door burst open as a gaggle of drunken sorority girls began to filter in. He returned to his position behind the cash register, straightening his back and readying himself for the onslaught of blended frozen drinks, iced coffees, and cold waters that he knew to expect from this exact demographic. 

He wasn't going to freak out about performing in front of Willie. He was a _professional._

* * *

So... it turned out that being a professional didn't exactly stop Alex from freaking out about performing in front of his ( _incredibly handsome, perfect, gorgeous)_ coworker. 

"I got us a gig!" Alex announced as soon as he walked into the studio that next afternoon, raising his eyebrows. "Um... what am I looking at?"

Julie was sitting on the couch, scrolling aimlessly through her phone whilst Bobby, Luke, and Reggie fought. Luke had Bobby in a headlock, holding him steady whilst Reggie rifled through his pockets. Julie looked up and gave Alex a little wave. "Bobby was trying to show me this old baby photo of you guys that he found in his attic, then Luke and Reggie got embarrassed and tackled him and now they're trying to find the picture."

"You're not gonna find it!" Bobby said, voice strained underneath Luke's grip. 

"Found it!" Reggie said as he emerged victoriously, holding a tiny polaroid picture in his hand. "You really gotta stop hiding stuff in your boxers, Bee." 

"You stuck your hand down-- okay," Alex said slowly, turning towards Julie who was rolling her eyes good-naturedly. "Anyway, I got us a gig!"

"Where?" Luke asked, letting go of Bobby and sitting on the floor in front of the couch, leaning his head back against Julie's knees. He was out of breath from fighting, face flushed pink. 

" _Covington's_ ," he said, flopping down into the armchair. "I was talking to my coworker about the band during my shift and he told Caleb about it and he offered us a performance spot for next month!" 

"That's great!" Julie exclaimed, slipping her fingers automatically into Luke's hair.

"That place has an awesome vibe, I'm surprised they didn't start doing live music sooner," Bobby said. He and Reggie took the last two spots on the couch and leaned against each other. 

"Yeah, Caleb said he's been wanting to do live music for a while and said that _we_ would be the perfect introduction," Alex replied, nibbling on the skin beside his thumbnail. "It should be great."

Reggie furrowed his eyebrows. "Then... why are you biting your thumb?" he asked, reaching across the armrest and pulling Alex's thumb out of his mouth. "You only do that when you're worried. You don't look as stoked as usual!"

Alex looked around the room and sighed quietly, wiping his thumb on his pants. "I... I _am_ stoked! I'm just nervous I guess? I don't know."

"Why are you nervous?" Luke asked, leaning into Julie's hand as she started detangling his hair. "We've played _hundreds_ of gigs, you barely broke a sweat." 

"Are you nervous to play in front of your boss?" Julie asked. 

Alex tilted his head from side to side, pursing his lips tightly. "No. I mean _yes_ , but that's not why i'm nervous." He looked around at them, surveying each one of their faces before sighing. "Okay, I... I'm nervous about performing in front of _Willie_." 

All five of them paused for a moment. Alex saw Luke, Reggie, Bobby, and Julie all exchange knowing looks and smiles he didn't trust one _bit_. "Willie, like... your _coworker_ Willie?" Luke asked, eyes sparkling with mirth. "The one with the long hair and brown eyes?"

Alex furrowed his eyebrows. "How do you know what he looks like?"

Luke shrugged, lifting Julie's hand out of his hair and tangling their fingers together. "I go to _Covington's_ sometimes when you're not there. It's a good spot to write."

" _And_ it happens to be next to the record store," Bobby said, rolling his eyes when Luke slapped his knee sharply. "Luke goes there whenever Julie has a shift and waits for her so he can drive her home."

Alex's jaw dropped. "So you've known Willie this _entire_ time?" he asked. "Why didn't you say anything?"

"It never came up," Luke said. "Plus, I didn't think you knew him. You always work graveyards - whenever I go it's like the middle of the afternoon. We don't really talk outside of him taking my order and me thanking him for giving me a discount." Luke paused, his thumb rolling across Julie's knuckles. "I don't think you have to be nervous, bro, you're a _great_ drummer _._ We're unstoppable!"

Alex sighed and leaned back further into the armchair, wishing the cushy warmth of it would swallow him whole. "I guess," he mumbled, staring up at the chairs hanging from the ceiling. "I just... I wanna impress him. I'm pretty sure he just sees me as his annoying coworker who doesn't know the difference between a ristretto and an americano." 

"A ristretto is like espresso but shorter and extracted through a finer filter. An americano is just espresso mixed with water." Four pairs of eyes turned to look at Reggie who was busy playing with the tassel on his boot zipper. Reggie looked up and blinked. "What?"

"...Anyway," Bobby said slowly, "don't worry about the performance, Alex. We'll make sure you look _awesome_ so you can impress this Willie guy." 

Alex smiled, his chest feeling about a dozen times lighter. They _loved_ to tease him, but at the end of the day the four of them were Alex's family. His _home_. He could always count on them. "Thanks, guys."

Julie grinned at him. "Anytime, Alex. Now, let's get to rehearsing before it gets too late - Dad's making empanadas for dinner."

They all nodded and got up. Alex walked to his stool and sat down, grabbing his sticks and twirling them around in his hands. He looked up when Luke approached, raising his eyebrows. 

"Did you manage to get this Friday off?" he asked. Alex furrowed his eyebrows before wincing. 

"Shit, I forgot."

"Alex!" Luke chastised, grabbing one of Alex's sticks and lightly hitting him on the head with it. "We can't cancel this show, man, _Frontier_ is always crawling with record execs and music industry people!"

Alex sighed, nibbling on his lower lip. "I'm sorry, Luke, I just forgot, honestly!" He paused. "The show starts at 7 right? My shift isn't 'til 11. I should be able to do the show and get to work on time if I hustle to _Covington's_ right after."

Luke huffed, nodding. "Okay. As long as you're there," he said, handing Alex his drumstick. "We need our best drummer."

Alex smirked. "I'm your _only_ drummer, Luke."

"Yeah, for now."

* * *

If you were to ask Willie if he preferred his night shifts or day shifts, the answer would've come to him quickly and easily. His night shifts, 100%. In fairness, he didn't mind his day shifts so much, but the nights were just so much more _compelling_. The night shift didn't have bratty middle schoolers or bossy businessmen on cell phones that never seemed to shut off; and it certainly didn't have _Fuego,_ the assistant manager who took it upon himself to follow Willie around like a freaking _ghost_ , making sure he didn't screw up any orders (despite the fact that he'd been working at _Covington's_ for nearly two years by now).

The nighttime also had one thing that the day didn't. Something tall and blonde and _cute_ that Willie had grown slightly accustomed to seeing. More often than not, whenever there was a slow moment in the store, Willie found that his mind would begin to drift toward Alex's shy smile and warm green eyes.

Ever since Alex had started working at _Covington's_ a few months ago, Willie's graveyard shifts had gotten exponentially more interesting. Alex wasn't just attractive, he was kind and funny and had a biting wit that made Willie swoon and laugh all at the same time. He desperately wanted to know who Alex was behind the uniform shirt and apron; which was why he'd been so stoked when he'd found out about Alex's band the other night. 

It was just another reason to add to Willie's internal list of reasons why Alex was the perfect guy. 

Willie sighed quietly as he poured warm, foamed milk into a latte mug, wrinkling his nose when his heart came out lopsided. He was still trying to work on his latte art skills. He looked up when the bell by the door rang and smiled when he saw Luke walk in, notebook in hand and his headphones firmly around his ears. After seeing Luke every Monday, Tuesday, and Wednesday for the past two months, he'd quickly become one of Willie's favourite regulars. He gave Luke a wave before walking to the bar and placing the mug on it gently. "Soy latte for Anika?" he called before walking back to the cash register.

Luke grinned at him - there was something _different_ about his smile today, but Willie brushed it aside. "Hey, Willie," he said, placing his notebook on the counter. "How's it goin'?"

Willie shrugged and started automatically plugging Luke's regular order into the computer (an iced Americano and a ham and swiss croissant sandwich). "About as well as it can be going for a Tuesday afternoon," he said, pressing the _employee discount_ button on the computer before giving Luke a smile. "That'll be $7.35."

Luke grinned and pulled a crumpled out $10 bill from his back pocket. "You're the best, bro," he said. "Keep the change." He didn't walk straight to the bar like he usually did this time. This time he lingered for a moment longer, eyes slightly narrowed as he watched Willie put the bill into the cash register. "Hey, when do you usually work?"

Willie raised his eyebrows. "I'm on the day shift on Mondays through Wednesdays and I do one graveyard a week on Friday nights," he replied. "Why?"

Luke smirked. "No reason," he said, tapping on the table twice with his knuckle. "Thanks again for the discount." 

"You don't have to keep thanking me every time!" Willie called as he watched Luke walk towards the bar. He shook his head but opted to forget about the interaction as he started making Luke's order. 

As he went through the motions of throwing Luke's sandwich into the oven and pulling two shots of espresso for his drink, Willie's mind slowly but steadily drifted towards Alex once again. He scooped a small helping of ice into Luke's cup, wondering what Alex was doing right now. Was he at school? Was he even _in_ college? Maybe he was rehearsing with his band. It was getting increasingly difficult to daydream about Alex when Willie knew next to nothing about him.

That still didn't stop him from thinking about how whenever Willie made him laugh, his laugh would bounce around the room before entering Willie's ears and filling his head in the most captivating way. Willie smiled as he snapped the plastic lid over the top of the cup, mixing it around a few times before turning to take Luke's sandwich out of the oven and put it on a plate. _Alex's eyes are the same shade of green as this plate._

He walked over to the bar and placed the plate and cup onto it, eyes still latched on the green plate as he called out the order. "Iced Americano and ham and swiss for Alex?" _Wait._

Luke's head shot up and he smirked before walking up to grab his order. "My name's Luke, _actually,"_ he replied, grinning cheekily. "Who's Alex?" 

Willie felt his face grow warm. "Sorry, my mind was... wandering, I guess," he replied with an embarrassed chuckle. "Alex is my coworker." 

The smile Willie received in response made him feel like Luke was looking _right_ into his mind; almost as if he could see everything Willie was thinking about. He didn't particularly like that. 

"Your coworker, eh?" Luke said, pocketing his phone and grabbing his order from the bar. 

"Yeah." Willie brushed a strand of hair behind his ear and wiped down the counter, trying to avoid Luke's eyes. "He works Friday nights with me most weeks. I was just... thinking of something funny he said last week."

Luke nodded slowly, eyebrows raised. He looked unconvinced. "Cool." He grabbed a straw from the cup by the espresso machine and tipped it towards Willie. "Thanks again, man." 

Willie just nodded, cheeks still warm and palms tingling from the slip up. He knew he should probably stop thinking about Alex and focus on his work, but... he didn't really want to.

* * *

Alex was going to be late. That's what Caleb had told him at the beginning of Willie's shift on Friday night. 

11:00pm came and went and Willie could feel his mood steadily getting worse. There was no one around - because _of course_ there wasn't, who was going to get coffee at 11pm? - and he was bored out of his skull.

He made himself a latte and was poised over the mug trying his best to make a snail out of foam and crema, tongue poking out between his lips, when the welcome bell sounded. He put down his mug and looked up, readying himself to say the customary _Covington's_ greeting.

The moment he locked eyes on the person who'd just come through the door, all of the moisture left Willie's mouth and his jaw dropped; because standing at the entrance was Alex, five minutes late, chest moving up and down as he panted heavily. But he wasn't in his regular clothes. Not by a _long shot._

First of all, he was covered almost head to toe in what looked like glitter and... _confetti?_ There were shreds of coloured paper stuck to his arms and legs (and one stuck to his collarbone that made Willie gulp almost _comically)_. Second of all, he was wearing a low-cut, pink crop top that rose just high enough so that Willie could see Alex's navel - though he didn't let his eyes linger, _definitely not._ The pants he was wearing were being held up by a long rainbow belt, which Willie made a mental note about. 

Willie cleared his throat, looking away from Alex's _everything_ and finally looking at his face - _was he wearing eyeliner?_ "Hey," he said, wincing when his voice cracked.

Thankfully, Alex didn't seem to notice. He smiled apologetically and walked behind the counter, bracing his hands on his knees. "I'm sorry... I'm late," he breathed, straightening up and reaching into his fanny pack. Willie raised his eyebrows slightly when Alex pulled out an inhaler from his fanny pack and took two quick puffs. He placed a hand on his chest and cleared his throat. "I'm also sorry for... um... all this." He gestured towards his outfit vaguely, slipping his inhaler back into his bag. 

"You're..." _making me lose my mind,_ "...covered in glitter." 

Alex smiled sheepishly. "My band and I had a gig that ended like 20 minutes ago and I didn't have time to change," he said, tugging at the hem of his shirt. "I didn't wanna make them drive me 'cause they were busy talking to some industry people so I ran for the bus and then the bus stopped like two blocks away, and... I'm really sorry I'm late."

Willie nodded, Alex's words crossing through one ear and immediately going out the other. He couldn't focus on anything right now - not when Alex was standing two feet away from him looking like _that_. "No problem, dude," he said, mentally patting himself on the back for managing to respond like a normal person. "I... you don't have to apologise." He hesitated before mustering up a smile. "You look great." 

Alex blushed - though that might've been from the exertion. "Oh! Uh... thanks," he said, stuffing his hands in his pockets. "Give me like two minutes to get changed and I'll join you out here. I kind of don't want Caleb to see me in _this_." 

Willie wanted to cry out in protest, but he didn't, because he was a _normal, functioning human_ whose brain didn't short circuit upon getting a glance at a collarbone. "Yeah, take your time. There's no one here anyway."

Alex gave him a thankful smile and disappeared into the back room. Willie couldn't help but follow him with his eyes until he disappeared completely. He turned back to his latte, looking down at his forgotten snail latte art. The snail he made was staring up at him almost judgmentally. He frowned at it and picked up the mug, taking a sip from it and ruining the snail. He had his own problems to deal with; he certainly didn't need to be judged by a snail made out of coffee and milk.

A few minutes and one latte later, Alex emerged. The crop top was gone, replaced by his uniform shirt and apron. All of the stray pieces of confetti were gone, and it looked like he'd attempted to wipe some of the glitter off of his face and body, but a light shimmer still remained. It made Willie smile. Alex smiled at Willie thankfully and stepped behind the cash register. 

"The glitter is a good look," Willie said, the words leaving his mouth before he could think about him. "Caleb would probably like it. He loves anything shiny."

Alex chuckled, rubbing at a spot on his arm in an attempt to dislodge some of the remaining glitter from his skin. It didn't work. "Maybe I should ask him to make body glitter part of the uniform."

Willie grinned. "He'd probably say yes immediately." He tapped his fingers against the counter, listening to the tinny sound of his playlist quietly playing over the speakers. "How did your gig go?"

The grin that formed on Alex's face made Willie feel like he could do a backflip. "It was _awesome,_ man, the energy from the crowd was practically electric!" he said, a wistful look in his eye. "And there were a ton of record execs there. I had to leave to come here before I could talk to any of them, but my bandmates were talking to this really important looking lady in a suit when I left."

"Wow, Alex, that's amazing!" Willie said, returning Alex's smile with one of his own. "You know what this calls for?"

Alex furrowed his eyebrows. "What?"

"A celebratory blended drink," Willie said, grabbing the blender pitcher and filling it halfway with ice. "Chocolate, vanilla, or matcha?"

"I thought employees were only allowed to have the basic drinks," Alex said, walking toward Willie and resting his hip against the counter. Willie smirked. 

"Being Caleb's nephew has its perks," he said, pumping the vanilla syrup into the pitcher. "Stick with me and you'll be drinking blended drinks _every_ shift in no time."

"I don't think my body could take a blended drink _every_ shift," Alex said with a quiet laugh. He hesitated before nodding. "I've never tried matcha before."

"Oh, dude, you're _missing out!"_ he exclaimed, grabbing the container of matcha powder from the rack. "You're gonna love it."

Willie could feel Alex's gaze following him as he poured a cup of milk into the blender along with a few teaspoons of matcha powder. He placed the pitcher on the base and pressed the 'on' button. The blender whirred to life, turning a pretty shade of green on the inside as the ice mixed with the milk, syrup, and matcha powder. Willie poured the icy mixture into a large glass and handed it to Alex. 

Alex took the cup and stuck a straw into it, looking through the clear plastic skeptically. "I didn't think it would be _green."_

"Just drink it, Alex." Alex chuckled and took a sip. Willie's gaze shifted for _just_ a second when Alex wrapped his lips around the straw but darted back up again. _Now was not the time._ He watched as Alex let the drink sit on his tongue, unable to stop the giggle that bubbled up out of his chest at the look of surprise he gave him. "Good, right?"

"I don't know how I've never tried this before," Alex said quietly, mumbling his words through the straw in his mouth. "This is amazing." 

Willie giggled and wiped his hands on his apron. "I'm glad you like it." 

Their eyes met and Willie felt his breath escape his chest. He wondered when the last time he'd felt this captivated by another person was; never, probably. Willie had never met another person who could make him feel this much so quickly. It was scary and completely exhilarating. 

"Alex--"

Then, Alex looked away from him as the bell above the front door chimed and the moment was broken. Willie sighed and looked towards the door, raising his eyebrows when he saw Luke standing there, holding a light pink lanyard in his hand. He was _also_ covered in a light layer of glitter that made Willie furrow his eyebrows.

"Hey!" Luke said, approaching the counter. Willie opened his mouth to greet Luke but Alex beat him to it. 

"Luke, what are you doing here?" Alex asked. Willie turned sharply to look at Alex. Did they... know each other?

"You left your key in my car," Luke said, placing the lanyard on the table and sliding it towards Alex. "I didn't want you to get locked out of the house since I'll probably be asleep when you get back." 

_Your key. My car. I'll be asleep when you get back._ Each word punched through Willie's rib cage harder and harder until it almost hurt to breathe. He looked between Alex and Luke for a moment, trying to make sense of their silent conversation. Suddenly, Luke's strange behaviour the other day made sense. 

They were together. 

They were together and Willie was a complete _idiot._ Of course someone as wonderful, special, _perfect_ as Alex would already have an equally as perfect boyfriend; and of course it just had to be Luke - whose arms were the size of soccer balls and whose smile could light up a cave at night time. Willie wasn't blind, he knew how attractive Luke was. It all made sense in a way that he _wished_ it didn't.

"Um..." The word came out choked and rough. Alex and Luke both turned to look at Willie - Alex's eyebrows were furrowed in concern. "I... we're running low on ice, I'm gonna go get some from the back." 

He disappeared into the back kitchen and leaned against the wall, resisting the urge the bash the back of his head against the tiled walls. He couldn't believe how _stupid_ he was.

* * *

Alex kept his eyes fixed on the entryway to the kitchen, even after Willie disappeared behind the door. That had been... weird, right? 

"Dude, Willie _totally_ likes you," Luke whispered across the counter, shoving Alex's chest playfully. Alex looked back at Luke and smiled shyly. 

"You think so?" he asked, sneaking another look towards the kitchen. "I don't wanna get my hopes up."

Luke nodded vigorously, smiling widely. "When I came by on Tuesday and ordered, he said your name instead of mine while he was calling out my order," he reported quietly, reaching across the counter and grabbing Alex's wrist. "He said his mind was 'wandering,' but he was _totally_ thinking about you." 

Alex felt his cheeks start to warm up, heart beating wildly in his chest. "What should I do?"

"Ask him out!" he exclaimed. Alex winced and automatically looked back toward the kitchen again, worried that Willie would overhear. Thankfully, the loud humof the ice machine filled the store and _hopefully_ prevented Luke's voice from being heard. "Put yourself out there."

Alex gave Luke an incredulous look. "Luke, you've known me since we were like two. When have I ever 'put myself out there'?" 

Luke pursed his lips. "Yeah, that's a good point," he replied, rubbing the back of his neck. "Maybe you won't have to. Maybe he'll come to his senses and ask you out or... declare his undying love for you via latte."

The corner of Alex's lips perked upwards. "He _did_ just make me a drink," he mumbled, eyes falling to his still-full cup as the condensation started dripping downwards onto the counter. "He said it was to celebrate our gig tonight." 

Luke grinned. "Hell yeah!" He checked his watch and tutted quietly. "Okay, I gotta dip and drive Julie home, but _trust me_ , he totally likes you." He gave Alex a quick wave before dashing out the door and running across the street to where Alex could see his car was haphazardly parked. Luke had never been the best at parallel parking. A few moments after Luke left, Willie re-emerged from the back. Alex could feel his heart start to pick up the pace from the sound of his footsteps alone. 

He turned and watched as Willie carried a metal tub full of ice out to the bar and opened the cooler, his eyes straying towards the sight of his arms as he slid open the door and poured the ice in. Luke's words were still running rampant in his mind as he tried not to ogle Willie too obviously, sipping on his drink and nervously chewing on his straw. 

When the last of the ice was dumped into the cooler and the metal tub was returned to the kitchen, Willie rejoined Alex in the front, but he couldn't help but feel like something had... shifted. 

Willie wasn't frowning, but he definitely wasn't smiling either. His mouth was set in a line, shoulders tense. It seemed as though he was doing everything he could to avoid making eye contact with Alex. He'd been wiping the same spot on the counter for at _least_ three minutes. Alex's heart began to race, but this time for all the wrong reasons. What if he'd overheard what Luke had said? What if he'd been completely wrong about Willie? 

"Um... thanks again for making that drink for me," Alex said after a few moments of tense, uncomfortable silence. He threw the empty cup into the trash and approached Willie's side of the counter. "It was really good."

Willie finally looked up at Alex, mustering up a smile that just _felt_ all types of wrong. "Yeah," he said softly. "No problem. Congrats on your gig."

With that, Willie turned away and turned his back to Alex so he could reorganize the flavour powders. When he was sure Willie was no longer looking in his direction, Alex furrowed his eyebrows and looked down at his shoes. He vaguely wondered what was worse; the silence or Willie's fake smile.

* * *

Willie had spent the entire weekend moping and feeling all too sorry for himself. By the time Monday rolled around and it was time for his opening shift, he'd moved past sadness and self-pity. Now he just felt embarrassed.

Could Alex have possibly known about how Willie felt? How _did_ Willie feel, even? He wasn't sure why finding out about Luke and Alex had hurt so much, but it had. That had to mean something. 

He walked into _Covington's_ just in time to clock in, slipping on his uniform shirt and brushing past Caleb who did a double take. 

“William?”

Willie closed his eyes and let out a slow sigh before turning to look at Caleb who was looking at him with concerned, furrowed brows. “Yeah?”

“Are you alright?” he asked, squinting as his eyes scanned Willie’s face. “You look… awful.”

“Thanks, unc,” he mumbled blankly, pulling his hair back into a low bun. “I didn’t get much sleep, that’s all.”

"Are you sick?" Caleb asked, taking a miniscule step back. "If you're sick, maybe you should go home. I can cover for you."

"I'm not _sick_ , I'm fine, okay? Promise!" Willie said, mustering up a grin even though it felt wrong on his face. "Everything's _fine_."

Caleb sighed. "Okay, if you insist," he said skeptically, eyes scanning Willie's eyebags and greasy hair one last time. "If you feel sick or want to leave, just let me know, okay? Your mother would kill me if she knew I let you work while you were ill."

Willie smiled - for real this time. "Yeah, okay. Thanks." 

Caleb nodded and waved Willie in the direction of the door. Willie turned on his heel and walked out to the front, washing his hands thoroughly before standing behind the cash register. The only other person working the front today was Fuego who was busy washing out one of the blenders. The cafe was fairly busy; tables teeming with people and the the sound of quiet, pleasant chatter filling the air. 

The time passed as Willie busied himself with taking orders and making drinks. When 2pm rolled around, Willie let out a breath, feeling relief when he saw no one waiting for him at the cash register. He quickly made himself a hot chocolate and was shaking the whipped cream canister when he looked up and out the front windows. His heart stuttered in his chest when he saw Luke standing outside the cafe - a reminder of how utterly devastated he'd been on Friday. But the embarrassment that came rushing back was quickly replaced with confusion at what he saw next.

Luke was grinning down at a girl who was slightly shorter than him - Willie thought he recognised her from the record store next door. He'd never been inside but he'd walked past it a handful of times. Willie's eyes widened when he saw Luke wrap his arms around her waist and pull her in for a chaste kiss. _Fuck._

Was Luke... cheating on Alex? How could anyone cheat on _Alex?!_ The idea was so absurd that Willie couldn't even think to imagine it. The longer he watched them, the more he could feel the anger beginning to well up in chest, bright and hot and uncomfortable. He looked down at the counter but the image of Luke and the girl from the record store followed him, almost as though it had been burned into his retinas. The sound of the bell ringing as the door opened reverberated sharply in Willie's ears.

Willie looked up and saw Luke sauntering in, an obvious, proud skip in his step. It made Willie want to cry and scream all at the same time. How could he be so happy with himself when he was doing something so... awful? 

"Hey, man!" Luke said, approaching the counter. "It was fun seeing you on Friday night. I forgot you and Alex shared a shift." 

The sound of Alex's name on Luke's lips made Willie _seethe._ He couldn't even find it in himself to fake a smile for the politeness factor alone, he was so _mad._ "Yeah, well, I told you I worked Friday nights, so..." Willie trailed off, shrugging stiffly. "What can I get you?"

Luke raised his eyebrows. "Um... ham and swiss croissant sandwich and an iced Americano. Please." He tacked on the 'please' almost like an afterthought. 

Willie looked at the computer in front of him and plugged in his order, his hand hovering over the _employee discount_ button. It was such a minor win. Willie knew it was. But for some reason, choosing not to give Luke his employee discount made him feel just a _little_ bit better about what he'd just witnessed. "That'll be $10.50." 

The subtly surprised look on Luke's face made him look so much like a puppy who'd been denied treats that Willie almost felt _sorry_ for him. Almost being the operative word. In truth, he didn't feel bad for Luke at all. He watched as he rifled through his pockets before pulling out a $10 and a $1 note and placing them on the table gently. "Keep the change?" he said, though it sounded more like a question than a statement.

"Your order will be ready in a second." Willie didn't look up from the computer as he put the cash into his register. Out of the corner of his eye, he saw Luke slowly slink off towards the bar to wait for his drink. 

As soon as he shut the cash register and washed his hands, he began pulling shots for Luke's drink, his mind and heart both racing. He wasn't being irrational... right? He'd seen Luke and that girl _kiss_. Kissing wasn't something you did with people who were just friends (at least, definitely not in Willie's case).

He stared down at the espresso, watching it drip into the glass demitasse cup. Willie felt a sudden wave of vindictiveness wash over him as he grabbed an empty cold cup and filled it practically to the brim with ice and water, leaving barely any room for the one shot of espresso he'd pulled (instead of the regular two shots). He snapped the plastic lid over the cup with perhaps too much force and placed it on the counter before turning to prepare Luke's sandwich.

And by 'prepare', he meant unwrap it and place it on the plate cold. Cheaters didn't _deserve_ warm bread and melted cheese. 

"Iced Americano and a ham and swiss," he called, wiping his hands on his apron. He saw Luke approach the bar, eyebrows furrowed and he quickly walked away, walking towards Fuego who was pouring hot water into a paper cup for an elderly woman at the counter. "I'm taking my break."

Fuego looked up, eyebrows raised high on his head. "What? But you _just_ got here--"

"--just cover for me, dude," he said, glancing back at Luke who'd by now sat down at his regular table. "I'll be like five minutes."

"But--"

Before Fuego had a chance to respond, Willie was untying his apron and walking towards the lockers. He sat down on the ground and sighed heavily, pressing the heels of his palms against his forehead. He could feel a pounding sensation begin to set in behind his eyes. He dropped his arms and looked up, leaning his head back against the metal lockers. His eyes fell the calendar hanging on the wall and cringed when he saw _Julie + Phantoms Performance_ scrawled in Caleb's blocky handwriting on top of this Friday's date. He'd almost forgotten about Alex's band's performance. 

Had it been two weeks already?

He didn't know what he was supposed to tell Alex when he saw him next. Caleb had given him Friday off so he could perform, but he'd _coincidentally_ scheduled Willie to work the evening shift that night rather than the graveyard. Sometimes he wondered if his Uncle Caleb was a _tad_ too observant. 

One thing was for sure: he'd _definitely_ seen Luke kissing that girl. The only thing Willie wasn't sure about was what he should do now. Should he tell Alex? Was it his place to? He groaned and dropped his forehead to his knees, mind buzzing with what felt like hundreds of conflicting thoughts. 

"William?" 

Willie looked up and sighed when he saw Caleb standing by the doorway, his computer glasses were on - clearly he'd been in the middle of something. He was leaning one hip against the doorjamb, arms crossed. He looked more concerned than angry, though. Willie supposed that was a good sign. "Hi."

"What's going on?" he asked quietly. "Fuego ran into my office in a panic telling me about how you'd abandoned him in the middle of your shift. Are you okay?" He paused, reaching over and placing a gentle hand on Willie's forehead. "You feel a little warm. Do you need to go home?"

Willie shook his head, trying to calm down his buzzing thoughts. "No, I just... I saw..." he groaned again, the image of Luke and the record store girl flashing through his mind yet again. 

"You saw...?" 

Willie pursed his lips tightly and looked up at Caleb. "Can I... ask for your advice?" 

Caleb raised his eyebrows and walked towards Willie, sitting down on the floor beside him. "Yes, of course," he said, grimacing when he looked down at the concrete he was sitting on. "These floors are filthy. I really should get Fuego to--"

"--What would you do if you saw your _friend's_ boyfriend" --the word friend felt odd in Willie's mouth-- "cheating on them?"

Caleb fell silent for a moment. Willie watched as he took hold of the ring around his index finger and began slowly twisting it. "That's not what I was expecting you to ask me, I'll admit," he mumbled, furrowing his eyebrows. 

Willie sighed. "Forget it, it's fine. I'm sorry for running out on Fuego."

Before Willie could stand and get back to work, Caleb stopped him, holding up a single hand that made him halt in his tracks. "Your mother... when she and I were in high school, she had this _boyfriend."_ Caleb said the word with such disdain, an over-exaggerated frown on his face that made Willie chuckle. "He was awful. Rude and condescending and arrogant. Perhaps I'm biased, but I _really_ didn't like him."

Willie didn't respond. He simply nodded, waiting for Caleb to keep going. 

"She was _so_ excited about this boy though, Willie, you have to understand. I hated the guy, but I never said anything because I saw how happy he made her." Caleb sighed and took his glasses off, rubbing at his temples. "So, when I saw him kissing another girl in the parking lot after drama club, I... I couldn't bring up the courage to tell her."

"Why didn't you?"

Caleb shrugged, giving Willie a wan smile. "I was worried she wouldn't believe me. She was so blinded by her infatuation that she would've taken his word over mine in an instant and I just wanted her to be happy at the end of the day," he said. "She found out a few days after I did. She was furious at me at first for not telling her but she understood _why_ I didn't." 

Willie wrapped his arms around his knees. Now he was more confused than ever. "So... do I tell him? I don't really get what you're trying to tell me." 

"I don't _know_ if you should tell him, Willie, that's a choice you make on your own," he said quietly. "But why exactly do you want to tell your friend?"

"Because cheating is wrong," Willie explained, ignoring the tugging in his stomach. He hesitated. "'Cause it sucks to be cheated on and lied to."

Caleb hummed, putting his glasses back. "Is that the only reason why you wanna tell him?" 

Willie looked at Caleb who had that same knowing smile on his face as he'd had when Willie told him he liked boys in the ninth grade. He always seemed to know what Willie was thinking before he even thought it. It was one of the things he loved most about Caleb - and one of the things that annoyed him the most. "Maybe it's not the _only_ reason," he said softly. "It's the main one, though."

"Willie, if you feel like telling him is the right thing to do then... do it." He stood up and offered a hand to help Willie up as well, squeezing his palm lightly. "Just make sure you're doing it for the right intention." He let go of Willie's hand and grimaced, brushing the seat of his pants off with his hand and frowning at the dust. "I _really_ should get Fuego to vacuum back here." 

Willie chuckled. He didn't feel _better_ , but... he felt lighter. Nothing much had changed, but he at least had a plan now. The next time Willie knew he was going to see Alex was on Friday at his performance. Willie winced at the thought of telling Alex the devastating news about his boyfriend's betrayal _right_ before a show. 

He'd tell him after the show, he resolved. It wasn't an ideal situation, but neither was any of this, truthfully. As he left the locker room, Caleb's words swirled around listlessly in his head. 

_Just make sure you're doing it for the right intention._

* * *

The moment Luke and Julie walked into the studio, Alex could tell something was wrong. 

His eyebrows were knitted together and his shoulders were so tense they were almost hitched up by his ears. Julie's arm was wrapped around his elbow, rubbing the crook of his arm soothingly with gentle swipes of her thumb. Alex raised his eyebrows. 

"Dude, you okay?" he asked. "You look like--"

"--you look like Reggie when he accidentally stepped on that worm last week," Bobby chimed in, sitting up on the couch and running his fingers through his hair. Alex nodded sagely.

"He was like this the entire drive," Julie said with a sigh, gently pushing Luke in the direction of the couch and guiding him to sit down. "I don't know what's wrong with him. He mumbled something about ice and cold cheese on the drive back here, but other than that, nothin'." 

Alex emerged from his throne and approached Luke, sitting beside him on the arm of the couch. "He only gets like this when someone's mad at him." He looked around the room, locking eyes with Bobby first who shook his head.

"It's not me," he said, nudging Luke's thigh with his toe. "He hasn't annoyed me yet today. For once." 

Alex looked at Reggie next who was sitting on the arm chair, legs slung over the armrest as he scrolled through his phone. "Neither am I," he said, pocketing his phone. "What about you, Jules?"

Julie shook her head too, moving Bobby's legs aside so she could plop herself down beside Luke. "We were actually having a pretty good day," she said, taking Luke's hand in hers. "We got brunch this morning before my shift at the record store, he dropped me off, and when my shift ended he was just... like this. Didn't crash the car though, which... is a miracle in itself."

Alex hummed and nudged Luke's shoulder lightly. "You okay, bud?" 

Luke leaned back against the couch and looked up at Alex, hazel eyes wide and so _sad_ looking that Alex almost started tearing up reflexively. "It's not any of you, okay?" he said finally, his hand finding the rabbit's foot hanging from his belt loop. "It's Willie."

 _Willie?_ "What?" Alex asked, eyebrows shooting up until they were practically kissing his hairline. "What makes you think Willie's mad at you? Why _would_ he be mad at you?"

"I don't know, man!" Luke exclaimed, suddenly _full_ of energy. "I went to _Covington's_ to wait for Jules to finish her shift like I always do and when I walked in, he was all glare-y and and cold." He pouted again, crossing his arms (but refusing to let go of Julie's hand, which resulted in an interesting looking pretzel situation). "He didn't give me his discount like he normally does... and my sandwich was all cold and gross. Plus, I'm pretty sure my drink was like... 75% ice."

"Did you finish the sandwich?" Reggie asked. 

Luke was silent for a moment. " _Yes_ ," he mumbled. "It was like $6 bucks, my mom told me never to waste food."

"Isn't Willie that guy you work with?" Bobby asked. "The one you like?"

Alex flushed. "I-I don't _like_... he's not... he's just my coworker!" he stammered, tugging at his hoodie sleeves. "This doesn't make any sense, why would Willie suddenly not like you?"

"Beats me," Luke mumbled. "I wish I at least knew so that I could fix it... and not have to eat a cold ham and swiss sandwich again." He paused, looking up at Alex who was nibbling on the corner of his lip, eyebrows furrowed. "Look, you can say 'no', but... we're performing at _Covington's_ on Friday, do you think you could talk to Willie for me? Maybe ask him what's up? I don't really know the guy, so... if I did something, I wanna know what it was."

Alex pursed his lips. He thought back to last Friday, to Willie's tense, fake smile and his deafening silence that had settled in after Luke had left the cafe. He thought back to what Luke had said right before Willie's demeanor had suddenly changed. 

_Willie totally likes you._ That didn't seem so apparent anymore. Willie had spent their entire shift together practically acting like Alex didn't exist. He could take rejection - that was what he'd been anticipating anyway, but... passive aggressive silence and unreasonable anger felt _so_ much worse. The thought of confronting Willie set a flurry of unpleasant emotions spiralling down Alex's spine, but he knew he _had_ to.

He nodded, giving Luke a stiff smile. "Yeah. I'll talk to him on Friday."

Suddenly, Friday night felt like it was both years away and hurtling towards them at breakneck pace all at once.

* * *

When he and Bobby arrived at _Covington's_ at 7pm on Friday night, Alex could feel his nerves buzzing almost violently under his skin. Julie, Luke, and Reggie had told them they'd drive to the cafe separately to make more space in the back of the van for Alex's drums. He stared at the door through the window of Bobby's van, eyebrows furrowed as he chewed on the edge of his nail. They were due to perform in a little under an hour, but that wasn't what was making Alex so nervous.

He could play the beats to their songs in his _sleep._ Shows came and went with the same exhilarating, exhausting energy to accompany them. No, Alex knew the _real_ reason why he was so nervous - and the reason was just behind that glass door, polishing mugs and racking them up on top of the espresso machine.

"You good, Lex?" Bobby asked, putting the van into park and placing his hand on Alex's shoulder. 

Alex nodded, taking a quick, sharp breath. It didn't calm him down. "Yeah. Yeah, I'm good. Nervous." 

Bobby nodded, giving Alex's shoulder a quick, gentle squeeze. "Everything's gonna be okay," he said. "Whatever happens, you know you've got us to back you up."

Alex mustered up a smile and looked over at Bobby. "Thanks, Bee." 

"Anytime." He pulled his keys out of the ignition and stuffed it into the pocket of his vest, wrinkling his nose. "I still don't understand why we started letting Carrie design our outfits." 

Alex looked down at his outfit. She'd put him them all in variations of mesh, tie-dye, and ripped jeans - when Flynn had invited her to one of their shows a few months back, she'd sworn _never_ to let them go onstage without explicitly approving their outfits before hand (except for Julie who's sense of style was, obviously, more fine tuned than the boys). "Because she saw Luke perform in a cut-off tank with a spaghetti sauce stain on the back and immediately deemed us all inept," he explained, unbuckling his seatbelt and rubbing his finger against the mesh shirt covering his tank top. "I kinda like it."

Bobby rolled his eyes, running his fingers through his hair. "At least she let me keep my suspenders," he sighed. "You ready to go?"

Alex hesitated before nodding firmly and opening the car door before his brain could tell him _no, hide, run away._ He stepped into the cool March air and breathed in shakily. Without looking through the large glass window right in front of the store, Alex immediately turned and opened the backdoors of the van, grabbing his kick drum case in one hand and his hi-hat stand in the other. 

He approached the door to _Covington's_. It was still the same door he'd been walking through every Friday night for the past three months, but something felt different about tonight. Maybe it was because it was barely 7pm and there were people still walking out and about - something that Alex didn't normally see during his graveyards until the sun began to rise at the very end of his shift. Or maybe it was because he was about to walk in with no intention of getting behind the counter.

Or maybe it was because Willie was standing at the counter, mere _feet_ away looking just as heartbreakingly perfect as he had the last time Alex had seen him. 

Alex pushed open the door with his hip, trying to make himself as small as possible as he stepped inside. Immediately the air in the cafe felt _different._ The lights were slightly dimmer than usual and there was a stage set up toward one side of the store that wasn't usually there. It was relatively large given the space and raised up a few inches in the air. There was a mess of wires connected to a soundboard that Alex couldn't even begin to _pretend_ to know how to use. He looked towards the counter. 

The moment he locked eyes with Willie, he almost dropped his kick drum on the floor. Luckily, he kept his grip on the case tight as his feet started moving toward Willie on their own accord. _Wait, what was he doing?_

"Hey, Willie," Alex said breathlessly. A familiar tell-tale pain was beginning to settle into his arms from carrying his equipment but he ignored the ache, choosing instead to focus on the gentle angle of Willie's cheekbones as his lips raised into a small smile. 

"Alex, hi," he said quietly. Alex took mental note of the way Willie's eyes left his face for a split second and sunk downwards. He could feel a flush beginning to crawl up his neck under the heat of Willie's gaze, but he hoped it wasn't _too_ noticeable under the dim lights. "I... I'm excited to see you and your band perform."

Alex smiled. So far so good - he was acting more... normal than the last time they'd seen each other, which he counted as a plus. "Yeah?" he replied. "I'm excited to play for you. And for... for everyone else, of course."

Willie chuckled, ducking his head shyly in a way that was _so_ _adorable_ that Alex briefly thought his eyes had turned into actual cartoon hearts. "Right, of course." He hesitated then, eyes fixed on a point on the floor, before looking back up at Alex. The expression on his face was... sad, almost a little bit pained. "Listen, are you busy after the show? Do you think we could talk maybe?"

 _Talk? What the hell did that mean?_ "I... yeah, sure." He turned and saw Bobby struggling through the door as he tried to carry his guitar on his back and a few more of Alex's drum cases. "Listen, I gotta go set up, but I'll definitely see you later, okay?"

Willie nodded and Alex spared one last glance at him before rushing over to hold the door open for Bobby with his foot. As he set up his drum kit on the stage, it was almost as though he were moving on autopilot. Meanwhile, his mind was turning Willie's words over and over, trying their hardest to make sense of them. Was 'talk' a good thing or a bad thing? _Why were human interactions so fucking hard?!_

* * *

Willie wasn't entirely sure how he was supposed to handle having a very serious and potentially heartbreaking conversation with Alex when he was wearing _mesh_ \- but he supposed that was a problem for future Willie. Current Willie would just stay behind the counter and watch wistfully as Alex and one of his bandmates set up the stage for their set. Caleb had given them a one hour time slot for their set and clearly, the band had a few local fans. There were people decked out in _Julie and the Phantoms_ shirts of differing colours, cuts, and sizes. Willie made a mental note to ask Alex where he could get one - if the conversation about Luke didn't end in total disaster.

He was pulled away from watching Alex when two young girls approached the counter to order. As he inputted their orders into the computer and got started making them, he just _barely_ missed the rest of Alex's bandmates walking through the door, all chattering over each other excitedly. 

He didn't see Luke or the record store girl until he looked up and called out the names of the girls who'd just ordered. 

"Iced chai for Meredith and a black tea lemonade for--" Willie cut himself off when he caught a glimpse of a familiar head of dark brown hair standing on the stage, guitar hanging off of his shoulders and his back turned towards Willie. _Luke._ He was facing Alex who was sitting behind his drums, beaming up at him like Luke had hung the _freaking_ stars. But what surprised Willie most was that the girl from the record store was _also_ onstage, slipping a white microphone into the mic stand. 

"Um... is that mine?" 

Willie tore his eyes away from Luke and looked down at the young girl hovering awkwardly around the bar, gesturing to the drink that he was still holding. He cleared his throat and nodded, giving her a polite smile and apology before turning back to look at the stage.

 _Luke, Alex, and the girl Luke was cheating on Alex with were all in the same band?!_ Willie felt like he'd fallen into an unfortunate episode of _Glee._ He watched in horror as the girl (Julie, he guessed based off of the band name) sauntered up to Alex and rested her arm against his shoulder, grinning at him jovially. It was like watching a trainwreck. 

His heart wrenched the longer he watched them so he forced himself to look away, turning his attention down to the rag on the counter as he began wiping down the marble countertop with far too much aggression. Maybe it was unreasonable to be getting so angry so fast, but... he felt like he wasn't getting angry for himself. He was angry on Alex's behalf. 

Bandmates were supposed to be family - that's what all those corny TV shows and movies had taught Willie. They weren't supposed to sneak around behind each other's backs and betray them, then pretend like nothing had ever happened. It wasn't _right._ He felt sick all of a sudden, nauseous in a way he knew had nothing to do with the leftovers he'd had for dinner before work.

The worst thing about this whole situation was that... Alex's band was actually _good_. Actually, scratch that, they were phenomenal. When the time passed and their set started, they'd managed to get the whole room on their feet within the first two minutes, something that Willie hadn't even seen from moderately successful headliners. 

But he just couldn't stop his mind from thinking ahead, of the talk he was going to have with Alex. Because he was still going to tell him what he saw - Alex deserved to know. There was a voice in the back of Willie's head that sounded annoyingly enough like his uncle Caleb that reminded him to keep his intentions in check. 

He wasn't doing this for a chance to _be_ with Alex. That was one of the lowest things on his list of priorities right now. He just couldn't stand by and watch Alex and Luke be together while knowing what he knew. Alex deserved to know exactly the kind of person he was with. _That_ was why Willie was doing this. It sucked, to be sure. Alex looked so happy on that stage and knowing that Willie was going to have to take that all away from him in mere moments was making his stomach churn unpleasantly.

There were a few moments during the set where Willie allowed himself to momentarily forget about his stress and just enjoy the show. The songs were all amazing and the energy that the five of them brought to the stage was immeasurable - Willie had never seen anything quite like it. Though, he had to admit to himself that he was mostly looking at Alex. There was something almost magnetic surrounding him that made him never want to look away. It wasn't just _attraction_ it was something deeper than that, something he could feel deep in his chest. 

During one of the faster songs, Alex looked over in Willie's direction. He wondered if he'd imagined the way Alex's smile had grown or if that had _really_ happened. Willie sent him a grin in return, unable to look away as Alex launched into an elaborate-looking drum solo. Willie breathed in sharply as his eyes tracked a single drop of sweat that began slowly making its way down Alex's temple, cheek, jaw _, neck._ He cleared his throat and looked away, suddenly glad that Caleb had lowered the lights - he didn't want anyone to see the blush that he _knew_ was on his cheeks right now.

Towards the end of one of their, admittedly incredibly catchy, songs, Willie watched as Julie and Luke turned to one another. It looked as if the rest of the world fell away the moment the two of them made eye contact, flirtily singing their call-and-response lyrics into Julie's microphone. The chemistry they had together was palpable, but Willie couldn't help the way his eyes drifted to Alex who was grinning as he hit his hi-hat to the beat of the bassist's notes. _Was Alex watching the same thing Willie was?_

 _"I got a spark in me,"_ Julie sang, her eyes affectionately crinkled as she tilted her microphone towards Luke. 

_"I got a spark in me,"_ Luke dutifully repeated, looking up at her through hooded lashes. Willie fought the urge to roll his eyes - they couldn't have been more obvious if they'd been _trying_. 

Soon enough, the end of their set arrived and Willie found himself clapping along politely as all five of the band members walked to the edge of the stage and bowed. He felt the corner of his lips perk up when he saw just how happy Alex looked - he had to admit, that had been a fantastic show despite all of Willie's inner turmoil. But the show was over now and it was time to face the music. 

Willie waited for a moment, keeping himself busy by refilling the small paper cup stack. He kept one eye on his task and one eye on the stage, waiting until Alex had finished packing up all of his equipment before walking into the back and taking his apron off. There was only five minutes of his shift left and he knew Caleb would understand. Some things were just more important.

He walked outside and stuffed his hands in his pockets, hopping uncomfortably from foot to foot as he waited impatiently. He heard a sudden gaggle of noise out on the quiet street as the door to the cafe burst open. Willie turned around sharply and saw all five members of the band all piling out of the cafe, giggling and yelling excitedly - he couldn't make out a single word. Among the group was Alex, carrying two large drum cases and a cymbal under his arm. Willie was so nervous, he barely even registered Alex's exposed arms. 

Alex's smile turned slightly tight when he saw Willie waiting for him and he attempted a wave with his shoulder. "Just give me a sec to load my stuff into the van," he said, nodding in the direction of a medium-sized black van with the words _Julie and the Fat Ones_ haphazardly spray painted on it. Willie huffed out a laugh at the words but there was no humour in it.

He heard a multitude of thunks and clashes and watched Alex slam the van doors shut before jogging over to where Willie was standing. _God, how was it possible for one guy to be this cute?_ "That was... you guys were _amazing_ ," Willie said sincerely, watching the way Alex's eyes lit up slightly. "I'm so glad I got to see you perform."

"Thanks! I-I'm glad you got to watch," Alex replied, brushing his fingers through his hair. "So, um... what did you wanna talk to me about?"

Willie opened his mouth but closed it again as soon as he caught a glimpse just behind Alex's shoulder of four pairs of eyes watching them dutifully. He narrowed his eyes and cleared his throat. "Could we maybe talk somewhere more... private?"

Alex furrowed his eyebrows but nodded, following Willie into the alley beside the cafe. The streetlamp bouncing off the exposed brick covered the alley with a layer of orange light. "You're not gonna murder me, right?" Alex asked with a chuckle that sounded too nervous to be genuine. 

"No, I'm not gonna murder you," Willie said with a short laugh, though it felt _wrong._ Sour, somehow. "I just thought... I saw something the other day and I wanted to tell you as soon as I could, but I didn't know how." 

His eyes scanned Alex's face for any hints or _signs_ that he might've know what Willie was about to say. He found none. "...Okay," Alex said slowly, tilting his head to the side with narrowed eyes. "What did you see?"

Willie groaned. All the carefully thought out words he'd _planned_ on saying had suddenly all gotten stuck somewhere between his mouth and his chest. He opened his mouth multiple times to speak but each time nothing came out... until: "Luke's cheating on you!" 

A beat of silence. 

Another beat of silence. 

"...I beg your pardon?"

Willie looked away from Alex, instead choosing to focus on an empty bottle of pop on the ground. "The other day while I was working, I... I saw Luke outside the cafe with Julie and they were... he... he kissed her," he explained slowly, each word taking more and more effort than the next. "I'm sorry for telling you like this, immediately after your show, but I-I had no other way of contacting you in a way that wouldn't be _weird_ , so... I waited until now."

He chanced a glance at Alex's face, expecting to see it crumpled in devastation or contorted in anger. He received neither of the expressions he had expected. Instead, Alex's eyebrows were furrowed and his lips were pursed, almost as if he were about the say something. "Okay," Alex said slowly. Was he... _smirking?_ "I... I don't know how to tell you this, Willie, but Luke _isn't_ cheating on me."

Willie sighed. "Alex, I know what I saw--"

"--No, no, Luke isn't cheating on me because we're not... _together."_

"What?"

An undecipherable grin grew on Alex's face and, even under the glow of the streetlamp, Willie could see the way his cheeks darkened slightly. "Luke and I aren't dating," he explained, shoving his hands into the pockets of his jeans. "We're just best friends. And bandmates."

Willie wondered what it would feel like if the ground opened up and swallowed him whole. "But... that night when he came by the store? He brought you your key and said that he'd be asleep by the time you got home." The more he spoke, the _less_ sense he felt he was making.

Alex nodded. "Roommates, too," he said. "When we graduated, we all decided we _really_ didn't wanna live with our parents anymore so Bobby, Luke, Reggie, and I found a place together."

"So... Luke is just your bandmate-slash-best friend-slash-roommate," Willie repeated slowly, feeling out each word like he was chewing bubblegum. _Holy shit, he'd never felt this stupid before._ "And Julie is..."

"Luke's girlfriend." Alex's eyes widened as a look of realisation crossed his features. "Was that why you didn't give Luke your discount on Monday?" 

Willie ducked his head and groaned quietly, rubbing the back of his neck. "I... I thought he was cheating on you! I wanted to defend your honour _somehow_ ," he said, looking up at Alex. HIs heart stuttered in his chest at the soft look Alex was giving him, all bright eyes and hooded lids. 

"That's... incredibly sweet," Alex said quietly, grinning cheekily. "Even though my honour didn't really need defending." Willie raised his eyebrows just a tad and returned Alex's grin with one of his own.

"It's the thought that counts, right?" he asked with a shrug. "Can you apologise to Luke for me? After I handed him that cold sandwich, I felt guilty for the rest of my shift." 

Alex laughed and Willie felt like he could _breathe_ again. The sound was soft and bouncy and everything Willie needed to hear in that moment. "Yeah, I can do that. I'm sure he'll get a huge kick out of this whole situation," he said through giggles. "I know I did."

The embarrassment that had previously filled Willie's chest steadily began to shrink as the time passed, instead replacing itself with a lighter, more _fluttery_ feeling. Willie vastly preferred it. "So..."

"So...?"

"So you're _not_ dating Luke."

Alex shook his head slowly, rocking back and forth in place. "Nope," he replied, popping the 'p' at the end of his sentence. 

Willie nodded. "And you're not dating any of the other guys in your band?"

"No," Alex scoffed, rolling his eyes. "Once you've seen them fight over the last eggo, all possibility of attraction just... fades." 

"Eggos are serious business," Willie said, raising his eyebrows. _Was this really what they were talking about now?_ "You don't wanna get in between a man and his--"

Before Willie could finish his sentence, he was interrupted by the feeling of cold fingers against his cheeks and the sudden press of a nose against his own. Oh. Not just a nose. A pair of lips, too. Willie's eyes fluttered shut as he brought his hands up to rest on Alex's waist, pulling him the tiniest bit closer. Alex was just slightly taller than Willie was so he had to press himself up onto his toes but it was _completely_ worth it.

Alex's lips tasted like orange soda and watermelon flavoured chapstick. Willie had never really been a fan of watermelon before, but after getting to taste it on Alex's lips, he thought it might've been his favourite fruit. 

He felt Alex's hands move from his cheeks to the back of Willie's neck. He welcomed the move and took a step closer to Alex until they were pressed against one another, curling his arms fully around his waist and resting his hands low on the small of his back. Then, all too soon, Alex pulled away - but he didn't go far. He was still close enough that Willie could brush their noses together if he just tiptoed a _little_ higher... 

They were so close to one another that Willie could feel the gentle rise and fall of Alex's chest as he breathed, could feel the tickle of his breath against his cheeks. He never wanted to feel anything else. 

"Was that... okay?" Alex asked, his thumb rubbing against the soft, baby hairs at the nape of Willie's neck. Willie shivered and pressed himself closer to Alex, bumping their noses together. 

" _So_ okay," Willie breathed before pushing himself forward and connecting their lips once again. 

They could've stayed there for _hours_ tangled up in one another and part of Willie wanted to suggest that they do exactly that. But the sound of whoops and hollers interrupted them both, sending Willie crashing down to the ground. They pulled away from one another properly this time and looked toward the direction of the alleyway entrance where Luke, Reggie, Bobby, and Julie were peeking through the corner of a building, only the tops of their heads showing in a comically cartoonish fashion. Alex groaned at the sight of them and dropped his head. 

"I'm sorry about them," he mumbled. "They don't have any sense of boundaries."

Willie chuckled and shook his head, leaning in and giving Alex one more quick peck, laughing against his lips when he heard a voice (that _might've_ come from Luke himself) holler its approval. "That's okay." He took one of Alex's hands from behind his neck and laced their fingers together, a grin growing on his face at the shy smile that he managed to elicit from Alex. 

"You're welcome!" Luke yelled, throwing Alex and Willie a thumbs up. 

Alex squeezed Willie's hand and rolled his eyes before turning to Luke. "You didn't do anything!" 

Willie lifted Alex's hand and pressed a kiss to his knuckles, successfully drawing his attention back. "Now that I'm assuming all the confusion is over and done with," he started, stroking the back of Alex's hand with his thumb, "would you like to go on an actual date with me sometime?"

Alex smiled, nodding quickly. "I thought you'd never ask."

**Author's Note:**

> i said it before i'll say it again HAPPY! BIRTHDAY! ANIKA! i'm sorry this fic is a day late 😔 but i hope you enjoyed this mess of 10k words all mish mashed together!!!! 
> 
> if you're reading this and you aren't anika, i really hope you enjoyed the fic either way!!! i loved this idea so much and it made it even better that i got to write it as a gift for my wonderful friend!!! i know it isn't Piss Off Your Parents, but i hope you liked it regardless cause i enjoyed writing it!
> 
> comments and kudos are always appreciated!!! if ur interested in screaming at me, my tumblr is @alexthedrummerboy - also go wish my girl anika @diwata-nation a habby belated birthday <3
> 
> \- Brit xx


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